Phoenix hits 100-mile mark for cool pavement project on city streets

PHOENIX — Phoenix has hit the 100-mile mark on applying cool pavement on city streets, about three years after the program started.

City leaders, including Mayor Kate Gallego, commemorated the milestone Tuesday when the Phoenix Street Transportation Department applied the cool seal coating in an area bordered by Lower Buckeye Road and Durango Street between 83rd and 79th avenues.

🆒 NEWS: Three years after launching our Cool Pavement program, we've installed over 100 miles of cool coating across Phoenix!

This innovative coating is produced locally and is proven to reduce street surface temperatures by up to 12 degrees! 😎 pic.twitter.com/XLqoX3AkjM

— Mayor Kate Gallego (@MayorGallego) June 6, 2023

The program, which started as a pilot in July 2020, is designed to reflect sunlight and reduce heat retention, which in turn lowers temperatures during hot summer days.

Phoenix said testing, in partnership with Arizona State University, has shown a 10.5 to 12 degree surface temperature difference in the midday and afternoon hours. Surface temperatures at sunrise were lowered by 2.4 degrees, according to the city.

Phoenix has also started testing whether the durability of the coating, which acts as a sun blocker, will lengthen the maintenance life of the pavement.

There has been one hiccup with the pavement in the program’s duration.

In December, a section of the pavement from 17th to 15th avenues and McDowell Road to Encanto Boulevard didn’t react well to heavy rain and peeled off.

The setback created a mess for residents.

The program will hit locations in all eight legislative districts in 2023.

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